Pakistan whip China to claim volleyball bronze

Green-shirts keep control right from the start to seal a 3-0 win in men's bronze-medal match Photo: POA Pakistan secured the men's volleyball bronze medal with a commanding 3-0 victory over China at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Saturday. Pakistan controlled the bronze-medal contest from the opening serve at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium, winning 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 in a match that lasted one hour and seven minutes. China struggled to match Pakistan's attacking efficiency, while Pakistan maintained pressure throughout all three sets. The winners finished with 75 total points compared with China's 52 and also benefited from 20 Chinese errors. Pakistan's attack proved particularly effective. They converted 46 of 72 spike attempts for a 64 per cent success rate, while China managed 27 successful spikes from 70 attempts, a 39 per cent rate. Pakistan also dominated at the net, producing 13 block points compared with China's two. Their defence was similarly stronger, with Pakistan recording 13 digs to China's nine. China made 13 opponent errors that contributed to Pakistan's score, while Pakistan committed 20 errors in the contest. The first set was closely contested in its early stages before Pakistan established control and closed it out 25-18. They carried that momentum into the second set, opening a decisive advantage and winning 25-16. China attempted to respond in the third, but Pakistan remained composed and completed the straight-sets victory 25-18. Pakistan had lost their semi-finals against Iran. In the quarters Pakistan had defeated India 3-0. In the league stage Pakistan had defeated Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan before losing to Japan to finish second in their group.